Children's theaters are in widespread use not only as a means for recreation but for therapeutic use as well in implementing children to act and play out their fantasies and to challenge their creativity. To this end, it is desirable that the theater be of simplified but sturdy construction, lightweight and portable while affording utmost versatility for different uses, such as, puppets, marionettes and figurines.
Play theaters have been devised in the past which can be interchangeably used for puppet or marionette shows and, for example, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,091 to E. J. Schrock. U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,788 to A. Heller is not adaptable for interchangeable use but does provide a puppet theater which can be used as well as a storage container and includes a removable backdrop for the purpose of creating different scenery. U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,142 to M. Griffith et al discloses a portable stage and kit with changeable curtains, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,780 to D. T. Linebaugh discloses a marionette theater with a removable backdrop. Other patents representative of the prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,620,591 to E. Scola and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,812,611 and 4,136,665 to M. Bierwiler.
There is a continuing need and demand for a toy theater of the type which is rugged yet highly versatile and is so constructed and arranged as to develop a child's dramatic skills as well as creative instincts. Specifically, it is desirable that the theater be of unitary construction and versatile in the sense that it is adapted for use in acting or playing out stories or skits with different figures including puppets, marionettes, dolls and figurines.